Chapter 4 - The experiment

    

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Peter found a parking spot close to the restaurant. After he parked, he got out of the car to open the car door for her.  She was looking forward to their early lunch and was all giddy about her surprise to him. They ordered starters, and Peter ordered a bottle of Chardonnay. It was her favorite wine. After the waiter poured the wine and she took a sip, she wanted to tell Peter about their trip, but the conversation was cut short when the manager came to their table. 

"Ah Peter, Mary we haven't seen you here in a while. It has been a long time..."

Mary smiled and nodded after taking another sip of her wine.  

"Pierre it is good to see you. We are glad to be back. We have been so busy at work, we hardly have time for ourselves."

Pierre and Peter continued the conversation and Mary felt a little left out because they were talking about football, something she had no interest in. While they were talking, Mary noticed a man sitting in the corner. He looked extremely familiar, but she had no clue where she had seen or met him before. She tried not to make it obvious that she was staring, but their eyes met for a minute and it felt as if he was trying to tell her something. 

It was very clear that her imagination was running away with her and she snapped back to reality. She felt a little foolish and took another sip of wine. 

"Snap out of it Mary...." she whispered to herself. Pierre finally left, just as their starters arrived and he excused himself to let them enjoy their food. 

She was having a garden salad and Peter had garlic snails. They ended up sharing both their starters and each had another glass of wine. Both Mary and Peter haven't felt this relaxed in weeks. They were chatting away and when she finally told him about their trip the next day, he was exhilarated. 

They finished their lunch and after two bottles of wine, both of them were ready to go home and pack for their flight in the morning. Peter was not in a state to drive, so he arranged with the valet to take his car home and drop off the key in the postbox.   

They took a taxi, and half an hour later they walked into their apartment. Mary decided to take a bath while Peter took a short nap. She felt so relaxed after a couple of glasses of wine, and when she finished her bath, Peter was already awake and busy packing. The power nap did him the world of good and he was happy to see her.  

"Thank you for arranging this. I need this....we both do....we'll be all refreshed and ready to try again on Monday."

"We're not going to talk shop this weekend. This weekend is all about us... and you were right. We need this."

He pulled her closer and kissed her. She felt safe. There was no doubt in her mind that she could trust this man with her whole life.  

"I love you Peter. You know I would do anything to make you happy."

"I love you too baby. I'm sorry I've been so uptight lately. I've just had too many things on my mind."

She kissed him on the forehead and then continued to finish her packing. 

Peter's phone rang and he quickly walked out of the room to answer.  She heard him talking to someone but she couldn't make out what he was saying.  He came back a few minutes later.  

"Who was that on the phone?"

"Oh it was no one, it was the wrong number. Do you want to watch a movie with me?"

She hesitated to answer but then decided that it was only her imagination playing tricks on her again. She smiled and said: 

"Yes, what are we watching?"

To be continued